Australia defeated Pakistan by 115 runs in the third and decider Test match at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore to win the series 1-0. The visitors bowled out Pakistan for 235 runs in the final innings to clinch the historic series. Notably, they have won a Test series in Pakistan for the first time since 1998. Coming back to the Lahore Test, Australian skipper Pat Cummins took a brave call to declare the innings on Day 4, setting a target of 351 runs for Pakistan with more than 120 overs to go. Pakistan too looked rock solid on the day by ending at 73/0. But Friday saw the pitch deteriorating even more and Australia took the advantage of that. With one wicket after another, they kept Pakistan under the pump and the latter actually did well to survive to some extent but Nathan Lyon's 5/83 and Cummins 3/23 poured cold water on their plans. Get PAK vs AUS third Test Day 5 highlights here.
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05:36 PM IST: Usman Khawaja - Player Of The Series
“We've had a lot of fun. Want to thank Pakistan, the fans … Winning today has been the icing on the cake. I think 350 with four sessions was a pretty good target. I knew how tough it was batting there. It was the hardest wicket I batted on. Was the hardest hundred I got,” said Khawaja, who scored 91 and 104 not out in the third Test.
05:35 PM IST: Babar Azam Speaks
“Here (in Lahore), we had two bad sessions (in the match). Our plan was to play normal cricket. Thought we would go for the chase if momentum was on our side. Want to thank Australia for coming here. The crowd supported both teams. Had a lot of fun," said the Pakistan skipper.
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05:33 PM IST: Pat Cummins - Player Of The Match
“We've been so well received here. Didn't know what to expect here but it has been an amazing experience. Been a lot of fun. Competitive cricket. In a lot of way, it's been more important than just the result,” said the Australian skipper.
04:53 PM IST: Australia Win
Pakistan have been bowled out for 235 in the final innings and Australia seal the deal by 115 runs in the third Test match.
Talking about the 10th wicket, skipper Pat Cummins cleaned up Naseem Shah to put the final nail on Pakistan's coffin.
Australians have won a Test series in Pakistan after 23 years. The last time they were able to do so was way back in 1998 under Mark Taylor, who had led the Australian team to 1-0 victory over Pakistan.
Karachi Test Scores:
AUS 391 & 227/3 d
PAK 268 & 235
04:42 PM IST: Wicket Again
Australia are just just one wicket short of a victory in the third and final Test at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore. Shaheen Afridi is the latest victim, Lyon gets the wicket and with this he completes his fifer.
PAK 232/9 (89.3)
04:33 PM IST: Australia Strike Again
Hasan Ali gets out on 13 off 17 balls. Australia more close to victory now.
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Coming to the wicket, Nathan Lyon bowled it down the leg side to Hasan, who tried to play a slog-sweep. The ball bounced enough to hit his helmet, drop on to the gloves and the the stumps.
PAK 226/8 (88)
04:13 PM IST: Another Wicket
Australia pick another and this time another set batter Sajid Khan (21) departs. Mitchell Starc claims the wicket. It was bowled on the pads and Sajid just chipped the ball to mid-wicket fielder Usman Khawaja.
PAK 213/7 (84.1)
04:10 PM IST: Babar Azam Is Gone
Oh! Here is the big fish for Australia, they have got their man and look who takes the wicket, it's Nathan Lyon. The right-arm off-spinner barely misses his mark, pitched it up on the rough area and produced an outside edge from Babar's willow. Smith did the rest to take a low catch at slip and Australia can smell the blood now.
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PAK 213/6 (83.3)
03:59 PM IST: Fifty For Babar Azam
Babar Azam edges the final ball of Starc's over and it runs for a four to the third man boundary. The batting mainstay of Pakistan gets to his 21st Test fifty. By the time he stays there, Australia know they have to fight tooth and nail to win this game.
PAK 204/5 (81)
03:54 PM IST: Final Session Starts
Australia have taken the new ball. Babar Azam faces Mitchell Starc at the start of the final session. Can he save this game and thus the series for Pakistan?
PAK 190/5 (80)
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03:34 PM IST: Tea Break
Another good session for Australia, they have got three wickets in it and could even have got Babar Azam, had they taken a review. They got another good chance when Nathan Lyon trapped Babar again with the latter playing a shot in air but the fielder (Travis Head) failed to get to the ball in time. However, Babar (46 not out) keeps holding the fort from one end and he has Sajid Khan (8 not out) as his support.
Half of the Pakistan team is in dugout and their survival seems tough on this deteriorating pitch of Gaddafi Stadium. They still need 161 runs more. Final session starts in around 15 minutes from now.
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PAK 190/5 (80)
03:17 PM IST: Unhappy Smith, Rightly So
A bat-pad from Babar Azam saw the ball slipping in between wicketkeeper and first slip (Steve Smith), but Smith put a sensational dive to his left to take the catch. Umpire was not convinced with the appeal, and Pat Cummins decided not to review. Smith threw the ball in anger and got back to his fielding position.
PAK 268 & 177/5 (75.2)
02:59 PM IST: Another Wicket
Mohammad Rizwan has been given LBW out for a 6-ball duck. It was a superb yorker from Pat Cummins that hit the toe of Rizwan's front foot. The umpire raised his finger and the batter didn't bother to challenge it. Guess what? The impact was found to be way outside the off stump. That means Rizwan could have survived, had he taken the review as he had offered a shot.
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PAK 167/5 (70.3)
02:45 PM IST: Wicket
Fawad Alam departs on 11 runs as Pat Cummins gets him LBW out. Umpire had raised his finger after the appeal but Fawad decided to review it and eventually wasted one for Pakistan.
PAK 165/4 (68.4)
02:27 PM IST: Review Lost
On the fifth ball of the 65th over, a Mitchell Starc delivery hit the pad of Fawad Alam but the batter had got a big edge on it before that. Threre was a shout for LBW but umpire was unmoved. However, Australia decided to take a review and wasted it.
Pakistan are under pressure. Meanwhile, new batter Fawad (8 off 10) has managed to deprive Australia of another wicket so far.
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PAK 156/3 (65)
02:06 PM IST: Big Wicket
Nathan Lyon has dismissed Imam-ul-Haq on 70. This is a big blow to Pakistan and no wonder the Australians are happy. It was an off spin from Nathan Lyon bowled down the leg side. Imam tried to play it with a forward defence and edged the ball before it hit his front pad and popped up in front of a desperate Marnus Labuschagne who caught it well.
Umpire raised his finger but Imam used a review only to see it wasted.
Fawad Alam comes in next.
PAK 142/3 (61.2)
02:00 PM IST: Day 5 Play Resumes
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57 overs more remaining in the game, Pakistan need 215 runs off it to win and Australia need 8 wickets. Here we go!
PAK 136/2 (60)
01:56 PM IST: Can Pakistan Pull It Off?
The way the pitch at Gaddafi Stadium is behaving on Day 5, this seems more like Australia's game than that of Pakistan. Even if the hosts manage to play out the next two sessions and salvage a draw, the achivement will be nothing less than a win. But what if they come out with full intensity to win this game? We will discover that soon as the second session starts in just 5 minutes.
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01:03 PM IST: Lunch Break
Pakistan were cruising at 73/0 when they resumed the innings on Day 5 but Australia have bounced back beautifully. 63 runs were scored in the extended first session which saw a total of 33 overs being bowled. Pakistan have lost Abdullah Shafique (27) and Azhar Ali (17), while Imam-ul-Haq (66 not out) and Babar Azam (19 not out) hold the fort for them.
While the hosts need 215 runs more to win this game with two sessions of play left, Australia need 8 more wickets. The second session starts at 2:00 PM IST.
PAK 136/2 (60)
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12:27 PM IST: Pakistan Going Slow
Pakistan are going at 2.24 runs per over, but they need more than 3 runs per over if they wish to win the game. However, at the moment it is their survival that matters the most as the pitch is helping Nathan Lyon to a great extent. PAK 114/2 (51)
12:02 PM IST: Lyon Strikes
Nathan Lyon continues. A dot and a massive appeal for catch. Not out is the decision, but Australia take the review. Azhar Ali goes for a sweep but the ball hits the pad and goes to Steve Smith at slip. Replays show a tiny spike. Wicket. Ali goes for 17. Babar Azam is the new man. Pakistan need 246 runs. PAK - 105/2 (45.2)
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11:46 AM IST: Drinks
Mitchell Starc on with his 8th over. A maiden to Imam-ul-Haq (54 off 139). Pakistan need 248 runs. 23 runs in the last ten overs. PAK - 103/1 (43)
11:34 AM IST: Lyon Continues
Nathan Lyon continues. Imam-ul-Haq takes a couple off the fifth ball, to backward point. Lyon's figures so far: 0/29 in 11 overs. Pakistan need 251 runs. PAK - 100/1 (40)
11:23 AM IST: Imam Fifty
Mitchell Starc on. A dot and a single to square leg. Fifty in 122 balls for Imam-ul-Haq. Pakistan need 261 runs. PAK - 90/1 (38.2)
11:21 AM IST: Bowling Change
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Nathan Lyon gets his first over in the innings. Azhar Ali plays the first ball through cover for three. A single off the third. Four from the over. Pakistan need 262 runs. PAK - 89/1 (38)
11:07 AM IST: Dealing In Singles
Cameron Green on with his seventh over. Three dots, and a single as Imam-ul-Haq plays it to midwicket. A dot, another single as Azhar Ali plays to down leg. Pakistan need 268 runs. AUS - 83/1 (35)
10:54 AM IST: 6 Runs, 1 Wicket
Pat Cummins on with his seventh over. A maiden to Azhar Ali (1 off 8). Six runs and one wicket in the morning. Pakistan need 272 runs. PAK - 79/1 (32)
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10:48 AM IST: One Down
Cameron Green continues. And the first wicket. Abdullah Shafique fishing, and is gone for 27 off 80. Caught behind. Easy take for Alex Carey. Azhar Ali is the new man. Pakistan need 274 runs. PAK - 77/1 (30.5)
10:39 AM IST: Maiden
Cameron Green on with his fourth over. A maiden to Abdullah Shafique (27 off 75). A huge shout for LBW off the fourth ball. No review though. Pakistan need 274 runs.
10:34 AM IST: Four To Start
Pat Cummins with the first over. Imam-ul-Haq, on 42, takes the first strike. Five dots, and a four to fine leg. Abdullah Shafique, on 27, is Imam's partner. Pakistan need 274 runs. PAK - 77/0 (28)
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10:26 AM IST: 30 Years Ago...
Pakistan players were seen with the 1992 World Cup trophy, which Imran Khan & co had won on this day in Melbourne 30 years ago.
Players are in the middle for the final's day play.
Preview
Pakistan have really showed character in this Lahore Test. The strength to look Australia in the eye has come from dollops of confidence the team acquired after the fantastic draw in Karachi.
Imam-Ul-Haq (42 batting) and the in-form Abdullah Shafique (27 not out) battled a difficult third session on Thursday to leave the Aussies frustrated. Steve Smith's poor fielding only helped matters for the home team.
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Friday morning, Australia will have a ball that is 27 overs old. The visitors will look up to skipper Cummins and Mitchell Starc to use their reverse swing skills to fork out the Pakistan top order and then force a decision.
Cummins and Starc picked up nine Pakistan wickets in the first innings. If Pakistan suffer a similar collapse -- they lost their last five wickets for four runs -- then Australia can win this game but a victory for Pakistan can't be ruled out given the quality and depth of their batting where in-form skipper Babar Azam has been pivotal.
